【Description】
Greed brings a steady stream of troubles. But it is difficult for people to realize this when they’re already deep in greediness. Without realization, there is no way to find the right way out. To reduce worries and pain, you must start with self-understanding. Well, how much do you know about yourself? Do you think you’re not greedy? What exactly is greed? How can you eliminate greed?
In this life of great self-cultivation, you should often reflect on yourself and understand your authentic self in order to find a way out. Now, follow the guidance of Grandmaster JinBodhi and get to know yourself through a “painstaking investigation”.
【You will Learn】
- The method of leaving suffering and attaining happiness
- Get to know the difference between having no desire and being lazy
- Understand the “state of zero”
- How to avoid being cheated
- Understand what greed is
- Learn how to live and maintain a healthy life
【Featured Aphorism】
- Blind praise may hurt the others.
- Don’t blame everything on others; reflect on your mistakes first.
- The root of the problem is often yourself.
- All the money that you lend to others or put into investments is no longer yours.
- You can prevent being scammed if you’re not greedy.
- It is never easy to obtain something; but after obtaining it, it will mark the start of another difficult journey.
- The body is like soil, and illnesses are like microorganisms in the soil.
- Meditation practice takes you from a messy and chaotic state to a state of purity.
- Goals and wishes are the motivation for living.
【Content】
Hello, everyone! (Hello, Master.) Please be seated. (Thank you, Master.) It is rare that we have such a chance in our life to understand our emotions, habits, weaknesses and problems. There are very few courses like this. There are many courses out there, but this opportunity to understand yourself is rare.
In the ancient “Art of War”, it says, “Know the enemy and yourself…” (You will win every war.) And what? (You will win every war.) Who says “win every war”? It is “you won’t lose a battle.” “Win every war” is what you said. The original saying is “You won’t die in battle.” This Chinese word sounds like “die” in English. So the war strategist 3000 years ago must have known English.
When facing war, we need to know ourselves first. We need to know our strengths. Say my enemy has 10000 soldiers; I only have 2000. There is a great imbalance in numbers. Can I go to war? Yes I can. But it is too risky! It is a gamble. It is a different scenario if it is revenge. My 2000 soldiers versus 10000. We can still fight with them. After all there are many people who don’t want to live. So what happens to them? Look at my action. They will be roasted. An old saying says it best: “Become the meat on someone’s cutting board.” My soldiers will be killed like animals. Reality is cruel.
How many troops do I have? Do I think the way soldiers do? What weapons do I have? How much do I pay the soldiers? Are my soldiers willing to fight for me? I must know these facts. Besides, do my people support waging a war? This is understanding, or knowing, myself. As for the enemy, how much do I know about them? They have 10000 soldiers, 5 times more than me. My weapons are sticks and stones. The enemy has spears and bayonets, even dynamite and gunpowder.
My soldiers number less than his. My weapons are inferior to his. His technology is more advanced than mine by 1000 years. His people support waging a war. His troops are well-trained. His soldiers excel at martial arts. Is this war viable on my side? Come on. Forget it. His military force is too strong. It is dangerous. My side is too weak. How can I avoid death? Don’t go to war. That way I won’t die prematurely. Stop the war before it begins.
Both in ancient and modern times, wars weren’t easy. We can’t go to war at will. Even war experts need preparation and the right timing. Train soldiers. Make every one of them practice martial arts. Recruit new soldiers and prepare military supplies. All of these are preparations.
In daily life, we rarely think like a war strategist. Think about relationships, though it is not a war, we should know our strengths. Of course many people know their own strengths. Right? However, few people know their weaknesses. Like a war strategist, we should know ourselves well. Many people think this is nonsense. “Who doesn’t know themselves?” However, we truly don’t. It is hard to fully understand our mind.
Let’s take a test. Raise your hand if you think you are brave. OK. Put it down. Who finds themselves afraid? Raise your hand. I will be the first. My observation is that I am brave at times. I often tell myself I ma very brave. When cooking in the kitchen, I think of my enemy. I grit my teeth and curse. “I will bite her to death!” But when I see the person, I say, “Hello, ma’am. I have missed you.” All my bravery disappears immediately. And I show a false calm attitude. Anger inside; smiles outside. I have to behave myself.
We don’t know ourselves because weaknesses can be vague. It is hard to acknowledge them. It is easier to understand other people’s stories. Let’s talk about Dongpo Su’s story. Su thought himself beyond compliments and encouragement. He thought he was calm when facing compliments and praise; that belittling, degrading and critical words wouldn’t anger him. However, in real life, he got angry very easily.
I have dealt with people who have this problem. I once met a fellow practitioner I hadn’t seen for 8 years. He told me he had missed me. He spoke so elegantly. He asked to talk to me alone. He insisted, even though I was busy. I asked him if he needed anything. He said, “Master, use your discerning eyes to evaluate my practice level.” I didn’t understand. Anyway, I looked at him and found nothing special.
I said, “Do you want to hear the truth?” “Sure Master. A Buddhist should definitely listen to the truth.” “There is nothing special about your self-cultivation.” He shouted at me angrily and asked, “Who said that?” He said, “Many masters said I have achieved much in my cultivation.” “Did you ask them what you achieved?” I said. “No”, he replied. I said, “Hypocrisy is what you achieved.” He freaked out. He almost broke my tea pot. He slammed the door and left. He hasn’t contacted me since.
I felt sorry for him, and bad too. I talked to the person who introduced him to Bodhi; someone familiar with him. I asked what the angry guy had been practicing during that period of time. His friend said it was endurance, or a certain method that helps people endure humiliation and insults. It is a method to enhance endurance against humiliation. To practice the method, he kneeled at the side of the road. He prostrated to pedestrians and praised them. So I guess that day he had practiced at the wrong place. He was at my place instead of the side of a road.
This practitioner might have the understanding that he should tolerate humiliation and resolve it, and shouldn’t care about compliments from others. He was deeply aware of these ideas. He knew he should overcome these obstacles of self-cultivation. Yet when obstacles suddenly arose, he wasn’t prepared. He couldn’t tolerate them. He didn’t cultivate himself in daily life. He claimed he locked himself in a house all day, practicing. With other practitioners’ help, he rented a house for practice.
He claimed he practiced 7 hours a day. In fact, he didn’t practice when he was alone. After 3 years, he came out, but he didn’t practice for all this time. This isn’t true self-cultivation. He seemed to have an understanding of the truth, but not practice in real life. So he failed to control his temper when he met real-life problems. He knew he had a bad temper. He just didn’t want to accept his problem, as I pointed out. What caused this situation? It’s a common part of human nature: hypocrisy, laziness, fear, disloyalty and even fraud. He was angry because I told him the truth.
Even serious practitioners may not attain achievements. Some masters avoid displeasing people. Let’s say you meet a master, and you bring him many gifts. Sociable as he is, he knows that truth can hurt your feelings. So the master compliments, rather than speaks the truth, to please you. However, this harms you.
Say one of my disciples didn’t practice well, but he gave me gifts. So I praised him, claiming he did practice well. I fell into this trap before. I asked this disciple to teach a class, since I was teaching elsewhere. He had not achieved a high state of cultivation, but I said he had. I told others he was wise and compassionate. In fact, he wasn’t that good. He eventually left because he wasn’t really that wise and compassionate. He wasn’t able to teach others. I was caught in this trap too.
Thus, I suggest you genuinely face your cultivation. School teachers and principals shouldn’t change a student’s grade. A good teacher won’t help students cheat on an exam. This behavior ruins a student. Students won’t have the knowledge when they need it. The students’ future will be ruined. Suppose you are a soldier. Your performance is poor, but they pass you anyway. You won’t perform well on the battlefield. You may even be killed. It is dangerous to do so.
A responsible teacher won’t give students answers to copy. They won’t fake a good grade for students and ruin their future. There are different kinds of compliments. It depends if it is given out of courtesy. Don’t blindly compliment and boost someone’s confidence in their ability. Otherwise you are harming them. And harming others.
Know yourself and know others. Then, you won’t meet your demise despite a hundred battles. Only by excelling at discovering and correcting one’s own weaknesses, can one truly elevate mentally and spiritually.
Our strengths are easy to spot; weaknesses are difficult to uncover. But we can learn from this teaching. Don’t blame others for your pain and suffering. You must first contemplate on the mistakes you might have made. How do you face your own faults? Let’s talk about the unhappy things. The failed business you and your friend had together. You split up. Apart from splitting up, you had to face the fallout. You insulted, cursed and even sued each other. There was so much trouble. Both of you suffered. A relationship is the same. When couples break up, agony follows.
When trouble and worry arise, we usually attribute them to others. I recall my own experience 10 years ago. Some worrisome things happened then. I thought myself a reasonable person. I thought someone else was the problem; he was responsible. 10 minutes or an hour later, I began to think about it. Previously, I had thought he was the reason we were unhappy. But as I thought more about it, I found that I was the cause.
Why would someone specifically hurt you when you have a partnership? You could say this guy is a liar, thief, pervert or villain. Why does he hurt only you at this moment? What is the deeper reason? Say you had a business partnership and were cheated out of money. It is because you wanted to make more money.
An example happened 10 years ago at a meditation center in the U.S. An English-speaking young man had a Chinese girlfriend. This young man came to the meditation center to practice. About 6 months later, he claimed that he had won the lottery. He told people about the lottery as if it really happened. He was penniless. He said the lottery ticket was bought with his girlfriend’s money. For certain reasons, he couldn’t immediately claim the lottery prize. He borrowed money from other practitioners.
He borrowed at least $100,000 in a month. I was like “Wow! So much money!” To be honest, I didn’t think I could borrow that much. Why were so many people willing to lend him money? How did that happen? The young man asked for $1,000, but got $5,000. They didn’t even discuss the loan conditions. Our practitioners had never been so generous. So why were they lending money to him without talking about the interest rate? It wasn’t even an investment. Right?
The lottery prize was more than $80,000,000 after taxes. Many people saw the young man as a billionaire. They tried to build a good relationship with him. That is why they weren’t stingy over a few thousand dollars. In the end, they came to me. They said, “Master, a practitioner’s boyfriend borrowed money from us. We lent it to him.” It turned out many people lent him money. Those who lent the money were all surprised. “What? There are so many of us!”
The total amount of money was over $100,000. I told them they deserved it. “You didn’t even have a contract or talk about interest rates. “He didn’t even issue an I.O.U. “Why were you willing to lend the money so generously? “It seems as if you were trying to profit from the future billionaire. But what did his becoming rich, or not, have to do with you?” It is strange.
Well. Okay. Sentient beings are intelligent. The beings I am referring to are human beings. Human intelligence is more complicated than animal instincts. Even though winning the lottery was someone else’s business, and had nothing to do with those practitioners, they thought otherwise. They presumed they could benefit from a good relationship with someone rich. With such a thought, people lent him money. When they realized they had been tricked, they couldn’t accept the fact. They complained out loud. It is hard to grasp the human mind.
So the process of getting to know ourselves during this retreat is a macroscopic way of teaching in this field of meditation. Besides, this way, I lead you to know this world in a more open and comprehensive manner.
For example, you could spend $500 to buy a non-branded watch; or you can buy the most famous luxury watch for $100,000. Why the great difference in price? The quality of both watches is the same. So why the great difference in price? It shows the different levels of spirituality and understanding. Using an expensive watch to brag about his wealth; he thinks other will respect him for his wealth. Men wear a good watch; women carry a brand-name bag. Same idea.
Many women stand awkwardly in a store that sells brand-name bags. With an apologetic attitude, they squeeze through the crowd just to buy a bag. The moment they leave the store, they walk like a princess. They are proud of their brand-name bag. Once, someone called the police. “Officer? I have been robbed of my bag!” Police said, “Okay. Give me your name.” “Jane.” “What is in the bag? How much money?” “There is nothing inside.” “Nothing? Why did you call the police?” “The bag is expensive.” “But it is nothing more than a bag, thus police won’t interfere.” “That bag is the most expensive thing I own.” The police didn’t pursue the case. “We want to know what was inside the bag. If there is nothing inside, why did you take the bag with you?” This male officer didn’t understand women’s vanity.
Another case about a bag happened in New York. A robber, new to the U.S., didn’t know about brand-name bags. He robbed a woman of her bag under a bridge. He found only tissue in it. He stopped her the next day. He beat her up. He said, “Your scruffy empty bag could land me a severe sentence. Okay?” He gave her few blows with the bag. Then he threw the bag at her. “Put something in it next time!” Though beaten, the woman was happy to have her bag back. This is vanity. It’s price is even higher than reality and truth.
In an 8-story mall, which floor charges the highest rent? The ground floor. What products are sold on the ground floor? (Cosmetics.) See? Vanity. Practical products are in the basement. Bakery and grocery are on B1 to B3. Go all the way down the stairs. You have to go down to ‘hell’ for food. And all the pretty things stay above ground. People apply cosmetics to their face. They don’t understand. Their ugly appearance can’t be changed with makeup. They can’t transform into another person with makeup. Yet a ton of makeup can make you unrecognizable, such as people dressing up for Halloween. Right? It is worth wearing makeup if you become unrecognizable. So, the less practical is usually the more expensive.
In the examples I mentioned, where people were cheated out of money; other people’s fortune has nothing to do with you. Surely you are rich enough to lend someone money, but you expect more and see the loan as investing. You were scammed, which leaves you in anguish. With analysis, you will find the solution is easy. Stop investing when you are already rich, so that you stay rich. Whether invested or loaned, the amount of money you have decreases. And when the money isn’t under your control, it is no longer yours. Please bear this in mind.
When your daughter is married, she won’t be around all the time. She belongs somewhere else. Money follows the same idea. Your daughter could go anywhere in the world. Same with investment capital, your money is no longer under your control. It is in someone else’s hand. By not investing, you secure your current wealth and remain rich. When your money is out there, there is no certainty that you can remain as rich as you were. Bear this in mind. The idea is simple but we still make mistakes. Now you know the reason. Don’t be greedy. Stay away from the trap.
I have mentioned these details as a guide, which may bring you to a deeper understanding of everything. Let’s get back to “know yourself and your enemy”. How much do we know about ourselves? You can’t understand the entire world even if you listen to all my teachings. My teachings are a guide. They give you directions on where to go. Try to understand more about the world, so you’ll be able to piece its structure together. If you understand more, you can avoid agony. Avoid agony and pain. This is our purpose, to learn and understand. Why do we have to learn and understand? To reduce pain and suffering.
When we encounter affliction and suffering, first look within ourselves for our own mistakes. Learn self-control in managing our inner greed and vanity.
Let’s get back to the topic of war. It is hard to acquire lands during wartime. However, there is something even more difficult later on. How do you manage the newly-acquired land and its citizens. That is much more difficult. A saying goes: “It is easy to siege a castle, but difficult to defend one.”
This rule applies to investments, relationships and family. Being in a relationship or having a family isn’t easy. The moment you are in one, another challenge begins. While being in a relationship is a challenge, managing it is even more so. You can wage a war, defeat the enemy’s soldiers and then occupy a city. Governing a city well so that people don’t starve or revolt is hard. It is hard to keep a family happy. Maintenance is very hard. For the rich, maintaining your current wealth isn’t easy. So be careful when you invest.
Some people say, “I am rich. I don’t have to work 9-to-5 and come home exhausted.” There is an interesting story from one of our fellow practitioners. I had an appointment with him at 11am. He had visible sleep lines on his face. The marks were all over his face. I asked him, “Did you just wake up?” “Well, Master… My cultivation is not at a high level. So I usually wake late without using an alarm clock.” “What if you can’t wake up one day?” I asked, truly worried about him.
Okay, so he wakes up late. “Are you happy with your current status?” “As long as I can sleep without interruption.” “I am worried about you”, I said. “2 years ago when I first met you in this cafe, you were half the width of this table. Now you are just as wide as it is. I am really worried about you. Perhaps in 3 years, you will be twice as wide as the table. Then you have to buy larger clothes often, don’t you?” “Well, it is a shame that my old clothes are too small now. But my dad doesn’t care at all.”
He meant his rich dad didn’t care that he had to buy him new clothes. I was worried and anxious. I thought to myself, will he survive to buy new clothes again? He was too lazy to wake up early. He used to be as thin as a stick. He gained weight like a blown-up balloon. And here he was. Round. There’s a contradiction in human life. Just because you don’t need money or a relationship, doesn’t mean you don’t have to take care of yourself and work hard. Your health won’t allow you to lead this kind of life. You have to manage your life. You need to manage your family, career and health in the best way.
Start by managing your attitude and health. Design a plan to manage your weight and physique. Though you can’t change much about your appearance, you can still manage your weight and physique. If you don’t, you will face chaos. Especially women. Without a diet and lifestyle plan, endocrine and mental disorders can occur. Depression and declining health can happen at an early age. Menopause can happen at the age of 25. Your life is ruined. Many other diseases can occur as a result.
So, we have to integrate the ideas from cultivation into our life. They may seem minute details, but they are the causes of our illness, anguish, heartache and financial worries. They may also cause us to lose everything. It is not enough to understand the truth. We must deduce these details from the truth and incorporate them into life. Besides, we need to set a goal for our life.
In this meditation retreat, however happy and healthy you become, you need to develop a plan. You need a plan and good management to maintain this joy. Today, so many people are gathered here. Practicing here for 7 hours is feasible. Shortly, you will go home and return to your life where many annoyances exist. Some say, “I can’t take my mom’s nagging.” Men say, “My wife nags incessantly. It is unbearable! And my boss is so demanding; there are monthly loan payments.” Some say, “Master’s teachings are good, but I am just too lazy to follow them.”
When facing problems in daily life, some fail to control themselves. This means they don’t love themselves or their life. They don’t want a higher level of wisdom. Please don’t waste the inspiration you gained during this retreat. Probe deeper into the inspiration, and you will discover greater wisdom. At that level, you will have a clear experience of that feeling. Exert more effort so you can reach that level.
If you are lazy for a month, you will regress. Knowing the truth, but not putting it into practice, is regression. When we revert to our old ways, things remain the same. The afflictions may bring even greater annoyances. You won’t achieve liberation. Maybe the next time you see me you will say, “Master, please save me! My body can’t take it anymore.” I don’t want this to happen.
Some people learned from me, but were lazy. Years later, they saw me and asked, “Master, why do I still fall ill after years of learning?” I explain it to them. “Yes, you came to a retreat years ago. After the retreat, you went home. Tell me how many times you practiced GI during those 3 years?” “Never.” “Not even once? Alright. What about prostration? How many did you do?” “I did them.” “How many times?” “3 during Chinese New Year.”
“What? You call that practice? Okay. “Since you don’t practice, do you exercise? Ball games, walking, jogging or walking a dog?” “No, I don’t even walk myself.” “You are worse than a dog. You don’t practice what you learned. And you tell me you have been learning for years?” He claimed that he had learned for years but then got sick. This claim had no supporting evidence. He gave up practicing.
We are a living being. Like a pile of soil, we don’t know what will grow out of it. Diseases are the same. Our body changes. We breathe, eat and are emotional. Many diseases grow out of these. So maintenance is required for our body, health and life. For the sake of our health, we must make choices as to what we eat. We must choose a time to practice and exercise. For us to be healthy, especially our mental state, we must learn to forgive and be compassionate. Then we can obtain the wisdom to solve problems.
We have had much discussion on this topic; hoping that you will have liberation from suffering and attain true happiness. This has nothing to do with my personal benefit. My life is already at this state. I know this, but you don’t understand it yet. But I believe in compassion. Since we have affinity, I can’t hold back not teaching you what I know. Hoping for you to learn more, I keep reminding you in case you forget. But you feel as if Master is teaching history and telling stories; the stories have no relation to what you are experiencing. So you disregard them afterward. That is not good. What we learn must integrate with our present and future life, so that we will attain true health.
The Meditation of Greater Illumination is our main method of practice. Do you know what “Greater Illumination” means? Briefly speaking, the first is physical illumination, the second is mental illumination, also called mind illumination. We are awakened if we have these two illuminations. Second, you need a plan. Third, make a schedule for your cultivation.
I suggest you pick one method I have taught you: GI, chanting, sitting meditation, prostration or Energy Bagua. Pick one and practice it at least an hour a day. The purpose is to provide us with basic energy for good health. By practicing for more than an hour, you are saving extra energy and this energy can transform into wisdom, and could be expressed in wonderful ways, such as becoming eloquent in speech. Some may find they can sing beautifully. Others love to hear them sing. No matter how old you are, you have the potential to transform.
By practicing more than an hour, the surplus energy will accumulate. We can’t say for sure what the energy will transform into. It may be getting divine eyes; seeing things others can’t see. Some acquire divine ears; hearing things normal ears can’t hear. It is not wiretapping or invading privacy, but an ability that surpasses our current one. Some have a heightened sense of smell. Our 5 senses begin to develop. The sense of smell becomes as good as a dog’s. It is great if the 5 senses heighten and develop further.
Imagine what happens when your sense of smell is almost as good as a dog’s. You will find a job easily, sniffing at the airport. “Heroin detected!” See? Now you have a job that suits your talent. It may sound ridiculous, but you do naturally develop certain abilities if you practice. You may develop greater perception too. Many people can predict an outcome before it happens. Perception varies from person to person. For example, the ability to foresee. Some may dream about what will happen. Some have instincts. They tell people, “Hey! Be careful when you drive next week.” They have the instinct to predict a car accident.
Why? How do these abilities occur? Because GI isn’t about greed, desire, fear, death or attachment. It is a state called purity. The state of greatest serenity. When you reach this state, the world becomes peaceful. When body and mind are pure, one begins to have extraordinarily wonderful feelings, knowing everything and having unlimited strength. It is a special experience. When meditation masters get into the deepest state of purity, they feel as if they have returned to the original state, before the world and the Universe were born. I call this state “zero.”
There is one more number besides 1 to 10. It’s “zero.” The state of zero. It is mentioned in The Heart Sutra. “Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. No birth; no death. No purity; no defilement.” It means neither clean nor dirty. It means neither pure nor impure. There is no birth nor death. Also, there is no bias. Neither up nor down. Neither left nor right. So where is it? At the state of zero. Just right there. It is a state of extreme purity. As for the purity, first, purity represents quietness. Second, purification or unpolluted. Third, lightness, too light to have any weight. This weightless state is amazingly wonderful. Then we will be granted with an ability to perceive matters clearly.
The transparent plastic cable that is used for the Internet and phone is called an optical fiber. What is it made from? Fiber. The chemical fiber is a type of plastic. The fiber must be clear, void of color. Its transmission capacity is much faster than traditional wires, because it is unadulterated. If other plastic or colors are added to the fiber, its transmission is affected. Just like us. A human’s perception receives signals when they are pure. Purity brings the most energy. Purity creates the best ability to receive.
The mirror you use when washing your face in the morning should be flat and smooth. The mirror manufacturer is important. If the raw materials aren’t processed at a high temperature, they won’t melt thoroughly. The finished mirror will have spots and bubbles, or its surface will be uneven. A round face becomes a long one in the reflection of an uneven mirror. A long face or a twisted one, right? Do you know about distorted mirrors? You look at yourself and say, “Wow! How could I be that thin?” Or “Why am I so fat?” It is because the mirror isn’t flat.
So a good mirror isn’t cheap, especially the good ones made in Europe 100 years ago. They were expensive, yet have remained durable. They give you a very clear reflection. The small mirrors bought from peddlers gave twisted reflections, because of the poor quality of flatness and clarity. Furnace temperature and the reflective quality of the materials also matter. The flatter and cleaner the mirror is, the clearer the reflection of our face.
What about our mind? When we have no desire or pursuit, especially when one’s greed is gone…. Do you know why an enlightened person is shown with a halo behind their head? When one has compassion and serenity, their illumination radiates outward. A halo is also a sign that shows this person has no desires. Their mind is like a mirror of purity, without any disturbance. Their mind is neither up, down, left, right, alive or dead. That is the state. That state has the same frequency as the Universe. The Universe doesn’t have any desire. Sometimes it feels as if he is a stone. Peaceful and calm.
The halo around his head reflects a pure state of mind. It’s a pure state of mind in which things can be sensed easily and clearly. In this state, even something as small as a mosquito can be felt. I have used this metaphor before about meditation. Fill a bucket with water from a river. Let it sit for 2 hours, observing it carefully. The sand sinks to the bottom. Wood chips and leaves float to the surface. The middle of the pail has the cleanest water. This is the original explanation of meditation. Meditation is the process of turning chaos into purity.
How to enter purity? The ignorant would say, “Just sit there for a while and you will get it.” Someone may bring a notebook and sit there. While sitting there, he starts to contemplate. “Someone borrowed money from me 3 years ago. Yeah, I remember that. Write it down. Alright, continue.” “A girl showed interest in me 7 years ago. Write it down. This is friendship. I should call her sometime. Mark it down.” “Oh, the realty broker talked about a cheap piece of land. Note it down. I will buy it if the price is low. If not, at least I can learn something.” Soon he rubs his face and ends it.
This is a session that prompts desire. Did this guy practice meditation? (No.) Yes, he did. Even though the meditation involves desire, it is still good for health. Yet the effect doesn’t work as well as orthodox meditation. How can he stop the distractions? No desire and no pursuits. Only when one quits having desires and pursuits can they reach purity. And there is no distraction when there is no desire.
Many people act like an accountant when practicing, checking debts from the past and exploring future desires, and noting their new desires. They recall past troubles and can’t focus on practice. They are distracted because their mother scolded them, they were beaten by classmates, a friend cheated them. They end up with a worse temper after practice. Though we still benefit when desires arise, the purity achieved is only temporary. The drawback is lighting another flame of desire.
The cultivation of getting rid of desire is also a pursuit. You may ask, “If we don’t want any desire, why do we want to practice?” Remember, practicing to become free from desires is also a pursuit. Is this kind of pursuit correct? (Yes.) Raise your hand if you think it is the right thing to do. If you think your wish is to become enlightened and you think the pursuit of no desire is correct, raise your hand. Or, you think a pursuit is also a desire you don’t want. Raise your hand if you think so.
Now even I am confused. Let me break it down for you. If you don’t want to be enlightened, and you don’t have any desires, you don’t pursue anything. If so, will you still want to practice Energy Bagua every day? As you promised, you have to practice every morning. You open the door and feel the cold weather, so you shut the door right away. “I think I will stay in my warm bed. See Master, I practice sitting meditation on my bed.” Am I right? A breeze can send you back to your bed. “Master, I will take a walk in my dreams.” Although you didn’t forget me, you totally forgot your purpose. Your practice won’t reap similar benefits.
So our life is intertwined with pursuits. You can’t get rid of wishing. The best wish is to quit all desire. What’s terrifying is to give up on this wish. Surely you won’t achieve anything for the rest of your life. In my opinion, everyone must have this wish, or desire, whatever you call it. Although it is my personal desire, it also benefits the world. You have to deprive others if you want more money. This harms others. But if you want to quit desire, that harms no one. Even though it is a wish or desire, it doesn’t harm anyone. If we achieve high-level cultivation, we can benefit others. So it is definitely worth having this wish. And we should have it.
So I am all for this wish. This wish is not a selfish desire. We should have it, so that we have motivation every day, such as prostration every morning at 7am. Take a walk at 8am. Have breakfast at 9am. You will have purpose in your life, otherwise, you are still snoring at 9am. If you want to sleep as much and wake naturally, you might also never wake up, I guess. Think about it.
What is natural? Natural is waking up when the rooster crows, getting ready for the day’s work, taking a bath in the evening, eating dinner, relaxing and then sleeping. There is a task every day. You must do something to handle the suffering and problems. This is what life is about. If you don’t do anything, your life doesn’t have any meaning. It is not happiness, but the beginning of another round of suffering. So if you don’t pursue anything, not even purity, your life is inevitably dull. I hope all of you stay on this path, to have an elevated wish or pursuit. Your life will then be filled with vitality and be more meaningful.
My teachings may not always be useful for all personal experiences, but I hope you will try to apply them to your life. Think about my words. Make notes when you get home. And keep a record of your plan. For example, keep a weekly record and summary of what you have done. The record is not for me, but pretend you are making notes for me. 3 years from now, read your notes. There will be many interesting things. You will see what you have been through, how your health has changed and how you felt during cultivation. After learning from me, you will see your relationships with your family and others improve; the level of your understanding will also be elevated. Transformation happens in these areas. It is so good if you can make note of them.
Make a schedule for yourself. Now that you have learned Energy Bagua, you should practice 30 minutes every day. At least 30 minutes of Energy Bagua every day. At least 10 minutes of prostration every day. Practice GI for at least 30 minutes a day. Medicine Buddha’s Greater Illumination enhances physical health. Mental health can be improved with both kinds of GI, but MBGI pays more attention to physical health. I hope every one of you will attain ultimate enlightenment. Thank you, everyone.
I feel honored and happy. It is my pleasure to have had this chance to teach dharma and truth. Thanks, everyone!
Self-cultivation is the path to liberation. Armed with compassionate vows, we go forth to perform compassionate deeds. Leaving our troubles far behind us, we will gain unimaginable abilities.